Everything you need to know about 'The Great Gatsby' in the West End

Head to West Egg and prepare to dance the night away with this popular musical adaptation of the Jazz Age classic.

Hey, old sports, listen up! The Great Gatsby has been a real word-of-mouth hit since it opened on Broadway in spring 2024 and is continuing to dazzle audiences with its romantic story, catchy musical theatre/pop score, and lavish production values.

We're very lucky that we haven't had to wait long for it to cross the bay (the Atlantic, in this case). You are cordially invited to its UK London premiere at the majestic London Coliseum – don’t miss the biggest party of 2025.

Learn more about the show before your visit to Jay Gatsby’s West Egg mansion. Prepare your best flapper dress or pinstripe suit, brush up on your Charleston steps, and be sure to look out for the green light.

Book The Great Gatsby tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

What is The Great Gatsby about?

Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby is narrated by Nick Carraway, who moves from Minnesota to New York City following World War I. He finds a cheap cottage on Long Island on the estate of mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby.

It transpires that Gatsby and Nick’s cousin Daisy, now unhappily married to Tom, were once in love, and the ostentatious parties that he throws night after night are in hopes of attracting her attention. They reconnect, with Nick as their go-between. However, their relationship ends in tragedy and disillusionment for all parties.

Themes include old and new money, conspicuous consumption, social class, gender roles, morality, and the American Dream, so it’s no surprise that it’s often taught in schools!

Who wrote The Great Gatsby?

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby. Considered by many critics to be the ultimate chronicler of the Jazz Age, Fitzgerald’s other works include This Side of Paradise, Tender is the Night, The Last Tycoon, and many short stories.

Fitzgerald’s novel is adapted for the stage by Jason Howland (music), Nathan Tysen (lyrics), and Kait Kerrigan (book). Howland is a Grammy Award winner for producing the cast recording of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, and he wrote the music for the 2005 Broadway musical adaptation of Little Women (another great American classic).

Tysen collaborated with Daniel Messé on the lyrics for the musical version of Amélie and with Masi Asare on Paradise Square. Kerrigan is known for her collaborations with composer/lyricist Bree Lowdermilk, including Henry and Mudge and The Woman Upstairs.

Have there been previous adaptations of The Great Gatsby?

There have indeed. The first stage adaptation of The Great Gatsby was produced on Broadway in 1926, a year after the book was first published. The production was directed by future movie director George Cukor (The Philadelphia Story, My Fair Lady).

Gatz (Gatsby’s real name is James Gatz) was a 6.5-hour staging of the entire novel by Elevator Repair Service that was performed on Off-Broadway at the Public Theater in 2010-11 and in the West End in 2012. In the same year, an “immersive” production was staged at Wilton’s Music Hall and a musical version at Islington's King’s Head Theatre.

And, of course, the story has been adapted for the big screen by Jack Clayton starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow (1974), and by Baz Luhrmann starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan (2013).

Who is in The Great Gatsby’s creative team?

The Great Gatsby is directed by Marc Bruni, who also directed Beautiful: The Carole King Musical on Broadway. He has previously worked extensively on Broadway as an associate director and has directed numerous regional productions. Choreography is by Dominique Kelley, who has choreographed for theatre, film, music videos, sports entertainment, and more.

The show’s visual elements have received huge acclaim. Set designer Paul Tate dePoo III has designed theatre, opera, film, concerts, and special events on Broadway and beyond. Costume designer Linda Cho won her first Tony for The Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and other Broadway credits include Anastasia, Harmony, and Doubt.

Has this version of The Great Gatsby been performed before?

This musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby was first performed at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse in October 2022. The production starred Jeremy Jordan as Gatsby, Eva Noblezada as Daisy, and Noah J. Ricketts as Nick. The show transferred to Broadway in spring 2024 with the original leads. It continues to play at the Broadway Theatre and the lead roles are now played by Ryan McCartan and Sarah Hyland.

What awards has The Great Gatsby won?

The Great Gatsby won the Tony Award for Best Costume Design, by Linda Cho. Cho and set designer Paul Tate dePoo III also received Outer Critics’ Circle Awards for their contributions.

Where is The Great Gatsby playing?

The Great Gatsby will play at the London Coliseum. This ornate Edwardian theatre designed by Frank Matcham (the most celebrated theatre architect of his age) is the largest in London, with a capacity of 2,359, and boasts the widest proscenium arch in the capital. It’s a suitably grand space for a show about all kinds of excess!

Since 1968, the Coliseum has been the home of the English National Opera (formerly the Sadler's Wells Opera), though the company will relocate to Manchester by 2029.

When is The Great Gatsby playing?

The Great Gatsby begins performances on 11 April 2025 and is booking until 7 September 2025. The show plays from Wednesday to Monday (with Tuesdays off) at 7:30pm, with matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays at 2:30pm.

How long is The Great Gatsby?

The Great Gatsby is 2 hours, 30 minutes long, including an interval.

Who are the characters in The Great Gatsby?

The Great Gatsby includes the following cast of characters from across the social strata:

• Jay Gatsby: a mysterious millionaire, obsessed with his former love, Daisy.
• Daisy Buchanan: his lost love, now an unhappily married socialite.
• Nick Carraway: the narrator and Daisy’s middle-class cousin.
• Jordan Baker: a (female) golfer and romantic interest for Nick.
• Tom Buchanan: Daisy’s brutish husband.
• Myrtle Wilson: Tom’s mistress, fed up with her menial working-class existence.
• George Wilson: Myrtle’s mechanic husband.
• Meyer Wolfsheim: a gangster, originally written as an antisemitic stereotype.
• Gilda Gray: a real-life entertainer who popularised the dance "the shimmy” (added for the musical).

Who are the actors in The Great Gatsby?

The London production of The Great Gatsby has the phenomenal all-star cast of Jamie Muscato as Jay Gatsby, Frances Mayli McCann as Daisy Buchanan, Corbin Bleu as Nick Carraway, Amber Davies as Jordan Baker, Joel Montague as George Wilson, John Owen-Jones as Meyer Wolfsheim, Jon Robyns as Tom Buchanan, and Rachel Tucker as Myrtle Wilson.

The ensemble includes George Crawford, Jordan Crouch, Kiara Dario, Frances Dee, Aimée Fisher, Tom Andrew Hargreaves, Alyn Hawke, Ediz Mahmut, Jamel Matthias, Nevé McGuiness-Dyce, Rose Ouellette, Sophie Pourret, William Richardson and Lily Wang.

Rounding out the company as swings are Liv Alexander, Taylor Alman, Lauren Hampton, Jared Irving, Samuel John-Humphreys and Millie Mayhew.

What songs are in The Great Gatsby?

The Great Gatsby’s score comprises the following songs:

Act I

Roaring On" - Nick and Company "Absolute Rose" - Daisy, Jordan, Tom, and Nick "New Money" - Jordan, Nick, Wolfsheim and Company "For Her" - Gatsby "Valley of Ashes" - Wilson "Second-Hand Suit" - Myrtle, Tom, and Company "For Better or Worse" - Daisy "The Met" - Nick "Only Tea" - Gatsby, Nick and Company "My Green Light" - Gatsby and Daisy

Act II

"Shady" - Wolfsheim and Company "Better Hold Tight" - Nick and Jordan "Past Is Catching Up to Me" - Gatsby "La Dee Dah With You" - Gilda Gray and Company "Go" - Daisy and Gatsby "Made to Last" - Tom, Gatsby, Daisy, Jordan, and Nick "For Better or Worse (Reprise)" - Jordan "One-Way Road" - Myrtle "God Sees Everything" - Wilson "For Her (Reprise)" - Gatsby, Nick, and Wilson "New Money (Reprise)" - Company "Beautiful Little Fool" - Daisy "Finale: Roaring On" - Nick and Company

The Original Broadway Cast recording is available on CD and on streaming platforms.

What are some fun facts about The Great Gatsby?

• The Great Gatsby’s copyright entered the public domain in 2023. Another musical adaptation by Florence Welch (of Florence + the Machine) titled Gatsby: An American Myth, premiered at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in summer 2024.
• Other titles considered by Fitzgerald for the novel included Among Ash-Heaps and Millionaires; Trimalchio; Trimalchio in West Egg; On the Road to West Egg; Under the Red, White, and Blue; Gold-Hatted Gatsby and The High-Bouncing Lover. We think the ultimate choice is the catchiest and has the most gravitas!
• Fitzgerald also wrote the fable The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Don’t miss the enchanting musical version at the Ambassadors Theatre, which takes the premise of the story and runs with it, including giving it a folk score and Cornish setting.

Book The Great Gatsby tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Photo credit: Dan Kennedy